Thursday, 24 November 2011

Pacific at International climate conference

Pacific delegates in a working group

Durban, South Africa, 23 November 2011 - Pacific survival is what the region is negotiating for during the Climate conference in Durban over the next three weeks. The 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework to the Convention on Climate Change is hosted in South Africa.

Preparations for a strong Pacific voice included a one day Pacific strategy meeting coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Durban. This is followed by a two day preparatory meeting with the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) which the Pacific is part of, to form a stronger negotiating block during the discussions with over 190 parties.

“These negotiations are crucial for the survival of the Pacific region,” said Espen Ronneberg, SPREP’s climate change adviser.

SPREP's Diane Mcfadzien and Espen Ronneberg

“Many pacific communities feel the impact of climate change now and we can’t sit by and let this happen to us, by being here and arguing our case we take every step we can for Pacific survival. Our one day meeting was to help strengthen our united Pacific ‘asks’ and strategically plan our way forward for the next three weeks.”

For the Pacific, climate change has impacted upon the lives of many people. In October this year Tuvalu and Tokelau declared a state of emergency due to drought conditions with the Cook Islands and Samoa experiencing several water shortages. In the Solomon Islands and Federated States of Micronesia, traditional food crops are now difficult to grow because of salt water inundation.

L - R: Delegates from Palau and Marshall Islands

Climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions; AOSIS is asking for countries to commit to deeper emission cuts. Science shows the Pacific region currently contributes to less than 0.03% of the World’s total greenhouse gases however we are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

“This is just one of the issues that the Pacific is negotiating at the Conference of the Parties we have many other negotiating agenda issues to follow over the next three weeks.”

Quick information on the Gigatonne gap

Total annual emissions must be reduced to no more than 44 gigatonnes by 2020 and continue to fall thereafter to avoid a temperature increase of over 2.0 degrees Celsius. An even steeper decline is needed to keep warming well below 1.5 degrees to avoid devastating impacts.

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UNFCCC COP 19

The 19th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is held in Warsaw, Poland from 11 to 22 November.

All 14 Pacific island countries are represented at these climate negotiations.

About AOSIS

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is a coalition of small island and low-lying coastal countries that share similar development challenges and concerns about the environment, especially their vulnerability to the adverse effects of global climate change. It functions primarily as an ad hoc lobby and negotiating voice for small island developing States (SIDS) within the United Nations system.

AOSIS has a membership of 44 States and observers, drawn from all oceans and regions of the world: Africa, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Pacific and South China Sea. Thirty-seven are members of the United Nations, close to 28 percent of developing countries, and 20 percent of the UN’s total membership. Together, SIDS communities constitute some five percent of the global population.

Member States of AOSIS work together primarily through their New York diplomatic Missions to the United Nations. AOSIS functions on the basis of consultation and consensus. Major policy decisions are taken at ambassadorial-level plenary sessions. The Alliance does not have a formal charter. There is no regular budget, nor a secretariat. With the Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia as its current chairman, AOSIS operates, as it did under previous chairmanships, out of the chairman’s Mission to the United Nations.